An ugly incident caused an uproar at the Planet Hollywood Casino last night when Hotel staff falsely accused a guest of engaging in hijacking left-over spoils on their slot machines.
Then emotions heightened to a fever pitch (after-the-fact) when Hotel Security proceeded to victimize the guest and fabricate a web of lies and deceit to cover-up the facts surrounding the incident when it was determined false allegations had been made.
In a nutshell, if you opt not to plunk down on one chair and gamble away all your money at one slot machine - Hotel Security at Planet Hollywood will stalk 'ya down, harass you on the casino floor, and make false statements designed to embarrass, humiliate, and defame you in front of other patrons.
Here is what happened.
A guest secured a replacement Player's card from the Planet Hollywood staff who promptly handed him a ticket to enter a $1,000.00 draw which would be taking place at 6 p.m. on the Casino floor.
Since it was just after five o'clock, the guest proceeded to check out slot machines in the vicinity of the contest to place bets on, as he waited for his chance at the Planet Hollywood jackpot.
After playing various machines for about a half-an-hour - during which time tallies of his game-playing and bets were being "racked" up on his Player's Card - a dykey young woman by the name of "Nicky" (about five foot nothing with a bad attitude) - accosted him on the casino floor and demanded that he fork over his I.D.
You know how some woman are.
Give them a bit of power and they think they've got a big swinging di** between their legs.
The guest was aware that Casinos are private property and management had a right to verify the identity of any high or low roller betting in their gaming house (bad business idea, however) so, the patron did not argue the point.
Understandably, though, he was taken aback.
Why was he being singled out at the Casino and no one else?
The guest expected that once he produced his I.D., the gruff little security guard - who was treating him in a rude and insulting manner - would hand the document back with little ado and that would be the end of the sad scenario.
Imagine his shock when the woman made the following stern demand:
"Come with me to the security desk. I have to "run" a check on you."
The other guests looking on gasped as the "victim" went into an emotional tailspin.
Were they insinuating he was a wanted criminal?
Or, that he had engaged in some wrongful conduct?
The guest walked over to the desk, at which point, the haughty guard picked up the phone and rattled off his name to someone at the end of the telephone.
Judging by the look on her face, a mistake had clearly been made, because she hung up the phone awkwardly and was silent for a moment.
Then, she whispered without so much as an apology or explanation:
"You can go."
At this juncture, the guest asked to speak with the manager.
Now, all the staff got visibly nervous.
A few minutes later, a "goon" in the employ of the Security Staff (an alleged supervisor) appeared and tried to make a lot of flimsy stupid excuses.
"It was a case of mistaken identity," he stammered.
"According to two bartenders, someone matching your description was fraudulently cashing out receipts at the ticket window."
When the guest asked if it was general practice to act improperly and make false accusations against a person on the Casino floor without checking facts first, he meekly responded:
"Well, we didn't have a lot to go and there wasn't much time."
Oh no, they would rather slander and defame a respected (well-known individual) in the Arts community and ask questions later.
When the guest noted he would like to lodge a formal complaint, the tensions rose considerably in the room.
As the guest was filling out the paperwork, the Manager for the Security Office suddenly appeared to deal with the problem.
Mr. Shane Asher was pretty tight-lipped. And, noted he would conduct an investigation.
When the guest noted that the female guard was rude and insulting, he promised to speak with her, as well.
But, no apology. Nor was there any suitable explanation forthcoming.
At this point, as the guest departed, another slot-player noted that the security firm was a separate entity at the Hotel and that perhaps it would be wise to speak with Hotel Management to ensure the issues were addressed and appropriate disciplinary action taken against the staff - who not only acted reprehensibly - but told bold-faced lies to save their sorry butts in the unpleasant aftermath.
Now, the situation got more sinister.
A Casino slots manager (sloppily-dressed and looking like she was coming down off of a bender) sauntered over to hesitantly to deal with the complaint issues.
Suddenly, a woman dressed in black with a name tag on one shoulder strolled over - looked the guest up and down - and lamented in a loud voice which carried across the casino room floor:
"Yes. That's him. I saw him take tickets out of the slot machines and cash them at the window."
What a diabolical allegation!
The guest was only in the casino for about fifty minutes - and at no time during that time frame - did he ever take any ticket to any cashier in the Planet Hollywood casino in exchange for greenbacks.
Surely the video cameras at the cashier booths and scanning the casino floor would be able to verify that?
Notwithstanding - it should be noted that earlier - the "goon" Supervisor from the Security Office stated for the record that the allegation was made by two bartenders.
The woman now pointing an accusing finger - who suddenly appeared "out-of-nowhere" - was certainly not a bartender!
Now, it appeared that the Hotel was changing its story in an underhanded and deceitful attempt to save face - and ultimately - mitigate damages in the event of a lawsuit.
When the guest astutely pointed out to Mr. Asher - that video footage of the casino floor and activity on the Player's Card would verify that he had been playing the slots with his own funds - the security chief was speechless.
Ah, gotcha!
In an effort to comprehend how the "misunderstanding" (if that is what it was) occurred, the guest offered up the suggestion that maybe because he "floated" from slot machine to slot machine (losing some pulls here and winning some others there) that his actions were misinterpretted by staff?
Surely - it wasn't Hotel policy that gamblers on slot machines were required to "remain" in one lone seat until they won or lost sums acceptable to Casino Management - before moving on to the next interactive video slot game?
If so, then the Hotel would be required to post a notice to that effect on the Casino property, wouldn't they?
In spite of the fact a handful of relevant arguments were stridently presented to Mr. Asher by the very shaken Hotel Guest, Mr. Asher was unable (or unwilling) to offer up any excuses or apologies!
His angry flippant response was:
"I'll take care of it!"
Bottom line, if Hotel Management is not inclined to permit gamblers to "wander" through the slot machines and play at whim (for some, the slots are a bit of mindless entertainment to savor for a moment or two, after all) then perhaps it is their own fault for "baiting" guests.
As I noted earlier, on the premise that Guests could win up to $1,000.00, Planet Hollywood provided Player card members with tickets to drop into a barrel for inclusion in a "big draw" at specific times throughout the day.
If guests were early for the draw, undoubtedly, many would turn to the slots nearby to while away a bit of time.
In fact - I surmise that is why the draws are held - to lure customers in to Planet Hollywood so they'll play the rigged slot machines sprinkled about the casino-room floor.
And, after-the-fact, if Hotel Security suspects that uncollected spoils at a slot machine are being scooped up by some unwitting player who happens to "luck out" by sitting down at that machine, they'll tar 'n feather the individual pronto!
But, there is another reason why guests may tend to "float" about the casino.
The tired old waitresses (who are under the mistaken impression that they are beauty Queens) are so slow at delivering up drinks that guests often prompted to migrate to to another section so they don't die of thirst!
If all this wasn't disturbing enough, Planet Hollywood also tries to seduce players into various scams around the Hotel which are not only a total waste of time, but a sham.
For instance, every half-hour, Player's Card members are invited to be part of a slot tournament on the Mezzanine floor.
Participants plop down on a seat, tap on the slot-play button as fast as they can for five minutes, and are summarily promised great prizes for top scores.
After witnessing a "competition", I was disgusted.
Most of the slot players I observed pounded away on the machine and - on average - only managed to rack up 2000 to 3000 points.
Want to hear something ludicrous?
If a player managed to score over 8500 points, they were ceremoniously presented with their coveted prize: a cheap little flashlight! (batteries probably not included, I betcha) which any fool could snatch up at the 99 cent store!
Yes, Planet Hollywood is Planet Nasty at its very best!
Notwithstanding, the Casino is run by incompetent mean-spirited sh**s with IQ's of about 2, prone to victimizing Hotel guests at whim without provocation or remorse later when facts determine a mistake has been made.
I say, avoid Planet Hollywood like the plague.
Unless you're a loser, or a masochist, of course!
As P.T. Barnum once said:
"There's a sucker born every minute".
And you are one, if you step into that sleazy joint, and play into their dishonest unscrupulous sleight of hand!
Footnote:
In contrast, Steve Wynn tossed a splashy bash last night at Encore that put PH to shame.
(Post to follow)
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